Kota pengolahan air minum: Akses terhadap air minum yang aman dianggap sebagai hak asasi manusia yang mendasar. Namun, lebih dari seperenam dari populasi dunia, terutama di negara berkembang, tidak memiliki akses yang dapat diandalkan untuk air tersebut. Pelanggan mengeluh kepada perusahaan air minum mengenai insiden seperti rasa, bau, warna, lendir, tekanan rendah dan tidak ada pasokan air. Di Inggris, diperkirakan bahwa sepertiga dari semua keluhan pelanggan mengenai air minum berkaitan dengan perubahan warna air (Cook et al., 2005). Keluhan ini sangat merusak kepercayaan pelanggan di perusahaan air.
Iron and Manganese contamination of water have long been considered to only lead to aesthetic problems, in that they are secondary contaminants that have little or no adverse health effects. However, research conducted by Wasserman et al. (2006) indicated a relationship between increased Mn concentrations in drinking water and reduced intellectual functions of children. Increased levels of Iron and Manganese concentrations have been found to be the main cause of drinking water discolouration (Slaats, 2002). Furthermore, discoloured water could also lead to coloured stains on laundries and sinks, increased treatment costs, reduced treatment capacity and increased pumping costs. Water with high concentrations of Iron and Manganese has been found to give water an unpleasant metallic taste and vegetables cooked with it become dark and look unappetizing (Herman, 1996).
High Iron and Manganese levels can lead to non-compliance with drinking water regulations. The drinking water standard for most jurisdictions for iron is 0.3 milligrams per liter (mg/l), and the standard for manganese is 0.05 mg/l respectively. The quality of water changes as it travels from source to consumers in Water Distribution Networks (‘WDNs’). Although water companies generally set post-treatment targets of Fe and Mn to about 3% of their respective MCLs, low concentrations of Fe and Mn still enter the network and gradually accumulate on pipe walls within WDNs. Given the wrong conditions, such as high flows created by a water main burst or high diurnal consumption of drinking water, these accumulated particles may subsequently lead to water discolouration and end up in customers’ taps.
In order to begin the process of oxidation of the iron (and manganese) in solution DMI-65® is designed to operate in the presence of chlorine or other oxidants. In this process the oxidant removes electrons and is consumed in
the process. The operator needs to ensure that there is a 0.1 – 0.3 ppm free chlorine residual in the effluent water. Chlorine, fed as sodium hypochlorite or bleach (12.5% NaOCl), is the preferred oxidant since it is relatively inexpensive, readily available around the world and it is effective. It also performs the vast majority of any disinfectant process.
Unlike ion exchange resins where higher regenerant dosages will increase the ion exchange capacity, NaOCl residuals or concentrations higher than required to oxidize the Iron and Manganese do not increase the oxidative properties of the media. Additionally, since the media is often used to pretreat waters prior to an RO system a higher free chlorine residual would require more extensive post treatment to reduce the residual and protect the membranes from chlorine attack.
DMI-65® has been certified to the US Standard of NSF/ANSI 61 for Drinking Water System Components and for use in England and Wales Under Regulation 31(4)(a) of the water supply (Water Quality) regulations 2010 and has also been tested by many other water treatment authorities and laboratories.
George Municipal Water Works, Afrika Selatan, menggunakan lebih dari 550 metrik ton DMI-65®. George air sangat berwarna mengandung asam humat dan Fulvic – warna air baku adalah approx. 800 unit warna PtCo. Jenis air ini diyakini menjadi salah satu yang paling sulit untuk menyaring. Penghapusan besi sangat efektif terlepas dari pH. Besi residu tertinggi ditemukan adalah 0,01 mg/L. Penghapusan mangan juga sangat efisien. Sisa tertinggi mangan ditemukan adalah 0,06 mg/l MN yang terbaik dihapus pada pH 8 yang lebih tinggi. Manfaat tambahan dari aluminium removal bahkan pada pH yang lebih tinggi. Turbiditas tertinggi yang tercatat adalah 0,06 NTU. Menurut tes laboratorium kami, warna tertinggi adalah 4 mg/l PtCo tetapi sebagian besar waktu warna lebih rendah dari warna air suling dibeli dari apotek di George. Tanaman telah berjalan sejak awal Januari 2007 dan terus memiliki hasil yang sangat baik. George Municipal Water Works, menggunakan DMI-65® filter media yang sama selama lebih dari 13 tahun, tanpa kegagalan atau penurunan kinerja.
The Witbank Municipal Water Treatment Plant di Durban, Afrika Selatan terdiri dari 18 filter pasir cepat besar memanfaatkan 1200 ton media filter untuk menghilangkan besi dan mangan dari sumber air tanah lokal. Spesialis pengolahan air lokal dan DMI-65® agen, air Technologies Cape, menunjukkan kinerja dan biaya manfaat upgrade sistem untuk DMI-65®, dengan sukses Pilot Trial di 2018. Upgrade ke pabrik dimulai pada 2019 dan diharapkan akan selesai pada akhir 2020.